Uncanny X-Men Vol 1 342
** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** Supporting Characters: * Villains: * Other Characters: * ** * * * * * * * * * * * * * Locations: * * ** Starstation A'sura Tarrel. Items: * Vehicles: * A Royal Star Cruiser of the Shi'ar Empire. | Notes = *The Marvel Chronology Project, which tracks Marvel character appearances, has the following information on the non-regular cast members which appear on this issue. **Cannonball appears here directly after Uncanny X-Men Vol 1 341 (February, 1997). He next becomes a regular cast member of X-Men Vol 2, starting with issue #62 (March, 1997). **Cyclops appears here directly after Journey into Mystery Vol 1 513 (October, 1997). He next appears in X-Men Vol 2 62 (March, 1997). **Deathbird last appeared in X-Men Unlimited Vol 1 13 (December, 1996). She goes on to be a semi-regular cast member of the Uncanny X-Men title, appearing in issues #343-345, 348, 353-354, #357-358, 372-374, and 377. Her storyline largely concludes by Uncanny X-Men Vol 1 377 (February, 2000). **Phoenix appears here directly after Journey into Mystery Vol 1 513 (October, 1997). She next appears in X-Men Vol 2 62 (March, 1997). **Storm appears here directly after Wolverine Vol 2 114 (June, 1997). She next appears in Star Trek: The Next Generation / X-Men: Second Contact Vol 1 1 (May, 1998). **Wolverine appears here directly after Psylocke and Archangel Crimson Dawn Vol 1 1 (August, 1997). He next appears in Star Trek: The Next Generation / X-Men: Second Contact Vol 1 1 (May, 1998). *While all the spacefaring X-Men start wearing Shi'ar uniforms in this issue, only Rogue continued wearing her new uniform semi-regularly when they returned to Earth. *The computer of the Royal Star Cruiser fails to identify Deathbird as the sole survivor and reports that there are no survivors. Shortly afterwards Trish Tilby and Bishop discover that Deathbird as still alive. The computer error is never explained. *While Cyclops, Phoenix, Storm, and Wolverine appear here as active X-Men, their recent activities are not explained. They were previously seen in X-Men Vol 2, issues #60 and 61, but these issues are apparently set in November. What have they been doing for the last month? *Other than Beast's struggle to place the speeding Cruiser under control, this issue contains no action scenes. It is mostly devoted to setting up the X-Men's new situation and exploring their characterizations. *Trish Tilby's storyline is a variation of a familiar plot, that of an innocent civilian dragged into the hero’s adventure. Unusually, she makes the best of her situation. She seems thrilled to be part of the action, hides her fears, and actually serves as a new member of the team. This is something of a spotlight issue for her. *Bishop's storyline focuses on his loneliness, failure to connect with the X-Men, and lack of a direction following Onslaught. This is something of a commentary on the character's history so far. Bishop has regularly appeared in the X-Men titles since 1991. In all this time, he has been given little character development and almost no connection to any other X-Man. While several issues focused on the X-Men's characterization and relationships, Bishop rarely got the spotlight treatment. His one major storyline was the search for the so-called X-Traitor and this was resolved when the traitor was revealed to be Onslaught. **A few online reviews suggest that Bishop's storyline actually represents Scott Lobdell's uncertainty what to do with the character following Onslaught. The story with the spacefaring X-Men actually served as Bishop's last major participation in X-Men storylines for several years. He next leaves the team and stays in space, becomes Deathbird's reluctant partner for a few years, and eventually becomes a solo adventurer in Bishop the Last X-Man Vol 1 (1999-2001). | Trivia = | Recommended = | Links = * plot summary at uncannyxmen.net }}